This invention relates to support systems for awnings and more particularly to an improved support system for lateral arm awnings also known as European-type awnings.
Lateral arm awnings include a main support tube held by brackets which can be attached to walls or to an eave soffit in appropriate situations. Wall-mounted lateral arm awnings may include a protective hood above the awning fabric roller tube and front bar when the latter is retracted.
Traditionally, the main support tube of the lateral arm awning is held and supported in cast aluminum brackets which are expensive to manufacture, bulky, and subject to the known disadvantages of metal castings. One aspect of the present invention is the complete elimination of the use of castings for the bracket components of the awning support system. Instead, the bracket components employed are aluminum extrusions, which are less bulky, stronger and more dimensionally precise.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mounting bracket arrangement for lateral arm awnings which possesses greater universality than known prior art bracket arrangements. For example, in accordance with the present invention, a minimum number of extruded aluminum bracket components is provided to enable a lateral arm awning to be installed with facility on either a vertical wall, with or without a fabric roll protecting hood, or on the bottom surface of an eave soffit. In each case, the bracket mounting is secure and stable and provides firm support for the main support tube of the lateral arm awning.
Prior art mounting bracket arrangements for awnings utilizing three separable bracket components are known. However, the construction and coactive relationship of these components is such that the use of the bracket arrangement is rather limited and lacks the degree of versatility of use which is desirable in the installation of lateral arm awnings in the various environments which are encountered in practice. The present invention improves significantly on the prior art through the provision of a mounting bracket arrangement which involves a new combination of bracket components having greater versatility of usage in carrying out the several different types of installations of lateral awnings which must be dealt with in practice. In other words, in accordance with the present invention, three bracket components formed as aluminum extrusions can be employed in several different ways to render possible the installation of a lateral arm awning in any of the environments commonly found in the field. This degree of versatility has not existed in the prior art and therefore constitutes a very substantial feature of the present invention.
Another object of the invention is to provide an extruded mounting bracket component for lateral arm awnings which materially strengthens the awning mounting while forming an accommodation or housing for the fabric roll and roller tube of the awning. The new bracket component which is arcuate in cross section is very rigid in two orthogonal planes and facilitates anchoring the top of the mounting bracket assembly to a wall member or soffit by means of a diagonal tension bolt or screw.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed description.